Sandstone asks Pine County to split $40,000 trail overrun; board agrees

Sandstone officials asked Pine County to split a $40,000 cost overrun on the newly rebuilt Sandstone Junction Trail after a contractor underestimated the amount of asphalt needed to rebuild the path.

Kathy George, Sandstone city administrator, told commissioners the trail—located outside the city in Sandstone and Delgrove townships—was originally built in the 1990s and recently bid for reconstruction. The selected contractor later acknowledged it did not inspect the trail before bidding and the work required an additional 380 tons of bituminous material, producing an overrun on the completed project. George said the contractor absorbed $5,006.25 of the overage, leaving $40,000 in excess costs.

George asked the county to split the remaining $40,000 with the city—$20,000 from the county’s parks fund—so the project could be closed out. Commissioners said the trail provides local recreational and snowmobile connectivity and that the county’s park fund exists to support projects like this. One commissioner noted the importance of continued maintenance, including crack sealing and brush clearing, and the city said it would add signage and maintain the trail.

The board voted to authorize the county’s $20,000 contribution from the park fund to cover its share of the additional expense; staff noted the county’s total park fund contribution to the project overall reached about $96,000 across the development and overrun. The city said the rebuilt trail should be durable and that usage levels will be tracked going forward with a trail counter from the Northeast Minnesota Transportation Alliance.